Hands down, Corvyxwas the winner of our February Cover Wars feature and by a whopping 95%! We at TNWU were excited to chat with Corvyx about his work, style, and upcoming projects. Here’s what this intriguing artist has to say:

You just set up a Patreon – what can Vyxens [fans] expect to see there? What are the levels of support?

Yes, I did! For years I’ve been this phantom figure on YouTube, because I hadn’t really done much interacting with fans besides showing gratitude and responding to comments on my socials. So Patreon is a platform that’s going to allow me to be even more interactive with the VYXENS based on the ‘give and take’ system that was built into the platform’s foundation. VYXENS can expect to see on-set live streaming, the psychological process in which I choose my covers, exclusive production and recording session behind the scenes, free downloads of all of my upcoming covers, first-looks at all of my upcoming music videos, the DIY projects I concoct for specific ensembles and accessories I use in my music videos. But of course these rewards correspond to different tiers of patronage. Patreon will allow my fans to see the skeleton of my work rather than just witnessing a finished product. The different levels of support are named after the Alchemical elements (Earth-$1, Water-$5, Fire-$10, Air-$20, and the Alchemists $40). The video campaign can be found on my YouTube channel as well as my new Patreon account.

How – and why – do you choose the covers you do?

There are usually three solid determining factors that help me choose a cover. 1) Was there one lyric/line that provoked visceral emotion or thought ? 2) Can this be told from another perspective/ how universal and applicable is this to all walks of life? 3) Am I scared shitless to cover this? If the answer is yes to all 3, I’m usually surefire on the decision.

How did you get started in music? Besides guitar, do you play any other instruments?

My sister thought it was comical to record me at 2 to 3 years old singing the likes of Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion and Michael Jackson on our landline answering machine. And so I began covering pop divas/rockstars in the primal stages of life. My mom was also a marginally successful recording artist at the age of 14 in Italy and so you might say it’s woven in my DNA. I actually don’t play guitar… I would love to learn piano though…

What is your video shooting schedule like?

I try to schedule the shoots accordingly, about a month apart in between each cover. During the shoot days, I usually block out most of the day for preparation. In total, from conception to completion, shoot days usually span 7-8 hours. Travel time, hair and makeup, set-up, shoot-time and breakdown, and a mandatory post-shoot sushi adventure must be accounted for. Shoot days are usually fun but they also sort of zip by because I am tunnel-visioned for a majority of the day and focused on being ready for the shoot. Once on-set, all of the preparation comes together and the magic starts happening. I get to transform. Oh, P.S.- Mother Nature 9/10 times decides to throw in an apocalyptic storm during my shoots so that’s always a blast too.

Describe how you re-key a female vocalist’s song for your male voice….

Remember the scared shitless factor? I usually do not choose to lower the key of a gender-bender cover, because I like to challenge myself. I like to test the limitations of my vocal range. I think telling myself I need to lower something makes me want to cover it in the original key even more. Of course vocal health is important, and if I feel it really is a detriment to my health I will take the blow to ego and lower the key. However, for most of my female covers, I haven’t and that choice is one that has drawn people to my channel and my voice. It’s sort of like a cool super power/secret weapon.

Tell us a bit about your passion for fashion!

Fashion is something that is entirely subjective. As much as the fashion industry likes to push an objective perspective on us (“That’s so last season…”), I view fashion the same way I view music. Conceptually. I know it when I feel it. It needs to be visceral. It needs to evoke something in me. I wear things that tell the story I try to convey or that at least compliment the mood/tone I envision in my covers/videos. I will say that I’m very drawn to avant garde, futuristic, chic fashion. Broke with expensive taste, much? Such as @RickOwens, @MinoarClothing, @JungleTribeLA, and @RITUAL_Official to name a few…

You have a background in theater – how does this manifest in both your musical style and your videos?
I have a knack for drama, if you haven’t gathered that by now… Theatre was invaluable and absolutely incredible training for what was/is to come for the rest of my career. I can tell a story. I can empathize. I can really understand (to the best of my personal ability) what the artist/songwriter might have been going through when they wrote that song. Chances are I’ve been through something very similar and if I haven’t, my experience in acting helps me conjure up something that can take me there. Sense memory. “How does this relate to me? Why do I relate to IT?” It all manifests in my affinity for theatrics, both visually and sonically. I want to create the entire experience. I want to be a portal for people and selfishly, myself.

What are your plans for more original songs?

I have many unreleased originals, because I’m a procrastinating perfectionist. I don’t want to release most of the things I write, because I become restless and think it isn’t good enough. I’ve set the bar high with my covers and so my insecurities scream they won’t measure up. BUT I’m choosing to relinquish some perfectionism in an attempt to be less selfish and to let people hear the songs I’ve written and recorded. I plan on releasing a few standalone singles this year and if all goes well, a concept EP by the end of 2018.

You are an international darling! Your Vyxens are fiercely devoted. Do you have any plans to tour?

I have every intention of touring once I have a body of work I feel proud of performing for my fans. And I have a feeling it’s closer than we all think. I’m vibrating with creativity and I miss performing live. There’s nothing else like it.

The next step is to keep pushing forward. Bettering myself, bettering my art, honing my craft. Experimenting with new outlets/platforms for creativity, to create more covers, and to create an original body of work I can be proud of and to continue to inspire even one more person. Bigger, better, more….

Do you have any nerdy hobbies? (We love talking nerdy!)

I actually am a part of so many nerdy fandoms. I love, love, love Game of Thrones and usually binge-watch conspiracy theorists on YouTube for hours after watching an episode (and YES, I’ve read all the books… patiently waiting for WINDS OF WINTER, GEORGE!) I’m also kind of a (and by “kind of” I mean MAJOR) horror movie fanatic and collect Pop Funkos, collectible pins, and Living Dead Dolls!

We’re pleased to announce the return of Cover Wars, our bi-weekly feature showcasing classic and recent hit songs by up and coming new artists. It was one of my favorite columns as a reader, and a writer, because I learned about so many new and underappreciated artists. Our premiere song for 2018 is Praying by Kesha, in honor of her dynamo performance at this year’s Grammy Awards.

Praying was Kesha’s first single in four years while she dealt with her lawsuit against then-producer Dr. Luke. In the song she channels the severe hopelessness and depression she experienced at the hands of Dr. Luke, allegeing he drugged, raped and abused her both physically and verbally. Dr. Luke denies the charges and countersued for breach of contract and defamation. Kesha had to wait four years until her contract with Sony Music expired in March of 2017 before she could release new music. Praying debuted in July of 2017 and was her first single from her album Rainbow, which was released in August 2017. The song sees Kesha moving away from the pain – “I’m proud of who I am/No more monsters/I can breathe again. The song is composed by Ryan Lewis and Ben Abraham.

Our five contenders for this week’s battle are:

Cimorelli

Corvyx

Drew Ryn

Chris Viola

First to Eleven

So readers, which version did you like best? Was it the acoustic version by First To Eleven? The versions by male singers Corvyx and Chris Viola?

Be sure to take our poll, and let us know why you chose the artist you did! If you have any suggestions for upcoming Cover Wars, please leave your ideas in the comments below.

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]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2018/02/06/cover-wars-praying-by-kesha/feed/075910Cover Wars: Arsonist’s Lullabye by Hozierhttp://talknerdywithus.com/2017/01/03/cover-wars-arsonists-lullabye-by-hozier/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2017/01/03/cover-wars-arsonists-lullabye-by-hozier/#respondTue, 03 Jan 2017 16:01:45 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=70326Andrew Hozier-Byrne, better known just as Hozier, is an Irish singer-songwriter. His eponymous album was released in September 2014 on Island Records and Rubyworks Records and include some tracks from Hozier’s previous two EPs, Take Me to Church and From Eden.

The album was both a critical and commercial success and reached the top ten position in Ireland, UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Greece. Arsonist’s Lullabye was a track on Hozier’s From Eden EP but was later included as a bonus song on the deluxe version of the self-titled album.

The song is about the childhood, adolescence and adulthood of a man with the psychotic need to burn. He becomes a cold, calculated arsonist, who is only happy when there’s destruction in front of him. The song was used in the film trailer for the Ben Affleck directed film, “Live by Night,” but the song’s resurgence is due to the more recently aired episode of AMC’s hit series The Walking Dead in March of 2016. The “Not Tomorrow Yet” episode led approximately 195,000 viewers to take to the music identification app Shazam to discover what song was playing on their televisions during and in the hours after the episode aired. According to Shazam, its use broke an app-wide record for most tags for a TV song synch.

The tune had previously been used in a season 6 trailer for The Waking Dead that aired in the summer of 2015 and was also featured in the series Teen Wolf and Constantine.

Here are some covers of this now iconic song. You decide who covers it best!

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2017/01/03/cover-wars-arsonists-lullabye-by-hozier/feed/070326Cover Wars: Perfect Illusion by Lady Gagahttp://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/27/cover-wars-perfect-illusion-by-lady-gaga/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/27/cover-wars-perfect-illusion-by-lady-gaga/#respondSun, 27 Nov 2016 18:08:38 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=69655Although (as anyone who follows me knows) I don’t listen to Top 40 pop music as a general rule, it’s a rule I gladly break for Lady Gaga. As someone who’s musical and personal journey has been a search for identity and foundation, Lady Gaga’s first song from her fifth album, Joanne, “Perfect Illusion” is dance rock at its finest. It was released digitally in September 2016, and though was met with somewhat mixed reviews (nothing new for Gaga), the song clocked in at number 15 on Billboard’s Hot 100.

The song is a tribute to love gone wrong, or possibly what our media influenced version of love leads to. Gaga is quoted as saying it lyrically describes her “highest of highs and lowest of lows” in a relationship and packs some wicked commentary on social media. The music video was directed by Ruth Hogben and Andrea Gelardin and made it’s debut during a second season episode of Fox’s hit, “Scream Queens.”

Gaga co-wrote and co-produced “Perfect Illusion” with Kevin Parker of Tame Impala and Mark Ronson with additional production by BloodPop aka Michael Tucker. The song was recorded in May 2016 in Malibu, California. Gaga was heavily involved in the production of the record. “She loves just sitting at a piano and barking orders at a drummer, and she has an incredible voice,” Mark Ronson says, and then went on to clarify that “they would begin with the songs first and then go with the other aspects of the composition.”

Although it has only been a couple of months since its release, the song has already had multiple covers. You decide who does it best!

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/27/cover-wars-perfect-illusion-by-lady-gaga/feed/069655Cover Wars: Pride (In The Name of Love) By U2http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/14/cover-wars-pride-in-the-name-of-love-by-u2/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/11/14/cover-wars-pride-in-the-name-of-love-by-u2/#respondMon, 14 Nov 2016 16:23:25 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=69077Pride (In the Name of Love) is one of U2’s biggest anthems, the lead single from the band’s 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. The song was a huge commercial success for the band, although, at the time, critical reviews were mixed. The song ranks #388 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

The song is associated with Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement but also references “one man caught on a barbed wire fence” and “one man betrayed by a kiss,” the later a possible allusion to Jesus. Initially the song was intended as commentary on Ronald Reagan’s pride in America’s military power, but Apocrypha credits Stephen B. Oates’s book Let The Trumpet Sound: A Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and a biography of Malcolm X with affecting Bono deeply enough to change course and consider the different sides of the civil rights campaigns, the violent and the non-violent.

The song contains the erroneous reference to King’s shooting as “Early morning, April 4,” when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Bono has openly acknowledged the error, and in live performances, he will occasionally correct the lyric to “Early evening….”

Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders sang backing vocals on the recording. She was married to Jim Kerr of Simple Minds at the time, and she is credited on the record as “Christine Kerr.”

The song has never lost its significance in the thirty plus years since its release; its message to our current troubled times remains clear. Here are some recent covers of Pride (In The Name Of Love).

In honor of the 45th anniversary of Carole King’s iconic album Tapestry – which anyone in the 70’s who had any interest in music at all had in their record collection – this week’s Cover Wars features King’s 1971 (yeah, I’m that old) masterpiece “You’ve got a Friend.” The song was featured on Tapestry, but became an ever bigger hit when recorded by country/folk singer James Taylor. His version was released as a single in 1971 and reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. The two versions were recorded simultaneously in 1971 with shared musicians, but it’s Taylor’s version heard on the radio most often.

“You’ve Got a Friend” won Grammy Awards both for Taylor (Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and King (Song of the Year). Dozens, if not hundreds, of other artists, have recorded the song over the years, including Celine Dion, Roberta Flack, Anne Murray, Dusty Springfield, and even Michael Jackson, McFly, and Lady Gaga.

This is a very special song for me, as I spent many a teenaged day and night entranced by the magic of Tapestry. King is a role model, and legend for female singer/songwriters through the ages, and her life and music are now celebrated in the Broadway musical, “Beautiful.” Let’s see which of these new artists covers it best:

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]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/27/cover-wars-youve-got-a-friend-by-carole-king/feed/067720Cover Wars: Shawn Mendes’ “Treat You Better”http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/21/cover-wars-shawn-mendes-treat-you-better/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/21/cover-wars-shawn-mendes-treat-you-better/#respondFri, 21 Oct 2016 19:17:17 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=67247If you haven’t been living under a rock for the past couple of years, you probably do know who Shawn Mendes is. Shawn was born in Canada in 1998 and quickly gained fame in 2013 by posting covers on Vine, followed by releasing his debut album, Handwritten, in early 2015. Many people, probably simply because he’s Canadian, have referred to him as the new Justin Bieber, which couldn’t be further from the truth. With all due respect to Bieber, Shawn’s so far short-lived career resembles nothing to that of Justin’s. His acoustic-driven pop hits have conquered the hearts of millions of people across the globe. And it’s no wonder, really.

His new album Illuminate is out now and the lead single, Treat You Better, was released back in June, quickly becoming a radio and fan favorite. The track deals with witnessing an abusive relationship from the outside and being aware that he could actually give the girl a better life if only she finally decided to leave the toxic relationship she’s in.

So here we have three amazing covers of Shawn Mendes’ already fantastic single:

Boyce Avenue

You have most likely heard about the band Boyce Avenue by now as they’ve only become more and more famous as the years have gone by, still publishing covers on YouTube. Theirs is a piano cover of Treat You Better, and I feel like it will best appeal to fans who are looking for quite a similar version of the original, but with a slightly more acoustic vibe.

Travis Atreo

I first heard of Travis Atreo thanks to his rendition of Dan + Shay’s You + Me (watch here)alongside Teen Wolf and Arrow star Colton Haynes, who also have the dreamiest of voices. Ever since then I’ve been going back to his YouTube channel every so often, as he posts a new cover every week. He did so with Shawn’s hit back in July, and I could not, for the life of me, leave it out. Listen for yourself to find out why. Travis’ voice is everything.

Alex Aiono & Conor Maynard

I’m going to be honest with you – up until this morning, I had no idea who Alex Aiono was (maybe I’m too old for ‘teen sensations’ now). I was casually writing this article when my sister and her friend arrived home. I told them what I was doing, and her friend suggested I look up Alex Aiono, who happens to collaborate on this cover with British singer Conor Maynard. I was sold immediately. Apart from being a very talented vocalist, Alex happens to play multiple instruments and his covers on his own YouTube channel often go beyond one million of views. Impressive.

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/21/cover-wars-shawn-mendes-treat-you-better/feed/067247Cover Wars: Fat Lip by Sum 41http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/14/cover-wars-fat-lip-by-sum-41/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/14/cover-wars-fat-lip-by-sum-41/#respondFri, 14 Oct 2016 20:53:07 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=66768Canadian foursome Sum 41’s hit song, “Fat Lip,” is our Cover Wars song of the week. Released in 2001, the song was featured on their album “All Killer No Filler.” It’s the fourth track on the album, and has thus far been the band’s most successful single to date. The song topped the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, and MTV’s Total Request Live and MuchMusic’s MuchMusic Countdown.

The catchy, upbeat song contains elements of hip hop, skate punk, rap and rock, and was written by Deryck Whibley and Steve Jocz. Lead vocals are shared by Whibley, Jocz, and Dave Baksh. The song is considered one of their signature songs, and has been praised for its unique style, and it’s been described “as if Sum 41 went from Blink-182 to Beastie Boys to Black Sabbath, all in one song.”

“The verses are really about what we do: growing up in the suburbs, going to parties and hanging out with our friends, and causing trouble. A lot of people say they relate to it,” said Whibley. The song gets its name from the slang term for a swollen lip as a result of being punched in the face.

Here are five covers of Fat Lip! You get to decide who covered it best!

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]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/10/14/cover-wars-fat-lip-by-sum-41/feed/066768Cover Wars: San Francisco – The Mowgli’shttp://talknerdywithus.com/2016/09/29/cover-wars-san-francisco-the-mowglis/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/09/29/cover-wars-san-francisco-the-mowglis/#respondThu, 29 Sep 2016 12:49:27 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=65401Los Angeles alternative rockers The Mowgli’s released “San Francisco” in October 2012, on their EP “Love’s Not Dead” (which was a remixed version of their independently released “Sound the Drum”). It was an iTunes single of the week, and the band performed it live on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In mid-October, the San Francisco Giants began playing the song “San Francisco” during their games and using it in some of their team videos. The Giants went on to make the song a part of their theme as they took the 2012 World Series in a 4–0 sweep against the Detroit Tigers.

The song was written during an impromptu visit to Francisco by Michael Vincze and Colin Dieden. The positive message of love and doing right by each other has been embraced by activists of many different ilks. It is the perfect musical antidote to the troubled times we live in…come on, feel the love, let it pour out of your soul!

]]>http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/09/29/cover-wars-san-francisco-the-mowglis/feed/065401Cover Wars: Creep by Radioheadhttp://talknerdywithus.com/2016/09/15/cover-wars-creep-by-radiohead/
http://talknerdywithus.com/2016/09/15/cover-wars-creep-by-radiohead/#respondThu, 15 Sep 2016 17:20:43 +0000http://talknerdywithus.com/?p=64564“Creep” was the debut single for British alt-rock band Radiohead, from their first album Pablo Honey. The song was released in 1992 but did not do well in the initial release. Upon re-release in 1993, “Creep” became an international hit, earning the band an NME Award for Best Single.

The story behind the song alleges that Thom Yorke wrote “Creep” while studying at Exeter University in the late 1980s. Guitarist Jonny Greenwood said that the song was inspired by a girl that Yorke had followed around who showed up unexpectedly during a show by the band.

“Creep” has been covered by many major artists, including Prince, Korn, and most recently Eric Bass of Shinedown during their live performances. Here are some new artists who have taken on this iconic tune: